The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of petunia plant obtained from crossing `Recoverer Scarletred (.female.)` and a wild type of petunia plant (.male.) native to Brazil.
Petunia is a very popular plant and is used for flower bedding and potting in the summer season. There are only a few varieties of the petunia plant which do not have an upright growth habit and which have a high resistance to rain, heat, and drought. Accordingly, this invention was aimed at obtaining a new variety of decumbent habit petunia plant having long stems and large blooms, the bush remaining in bloom for a considerable period of time, and a high resistance to rain, heat, and drought.
The new variety of petunia plant according to this invention originated from a crossing of `Recoverer Scarletred` as the female parent and a wild type of petunia plant native to Brazil as the pollen parent, in June, 1984 at the Yachiyo Farm of Keisei Rose Nurseries, Inc., residing at 755 Owadasinden, Yachiyo-shi, Chiba-ken, Japan. From this crossing 380 seedlings were obtained in 1985, from which 3 seedlings were selected, propagated by cutting, and then grown as a trail by flower bedding. Only one of the 3 resulting plants was selected. The botanical characteristics of the finally-selected plant were then examined, using a similar variety, `Recoverer Blue`, for comparison, from the spring of 1986. As a result, it was concluded that this petunia plant is distinguishable from any other variety, whose existence is known to us, and this new variety of petunia plant was named `Revolution Brilliantpink`.
In the following description, the color-coding is in accordance with the Horticultural Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England (R.H.S. Colour Chart), and the Inter-Society Color Council-Nation Bureau of Standards Color Name (I.S.C.C.-N.B.S. Color Name). A color chart based on The Japan Color Standard for Horticultural Plant (J.H.S. Color Chart) is also added for reference.
`Recoverer Scarletred`, also called `Recoverer Scarlet` or `Recoverer Red`, used as the female parent in the breeding of this new variety `Revolution Brilliantpink`, is one of the Recoverer Series bred by the Sakata Seed Corp., Japan. The Recoverer Series includes the above-mentioned `Recoverer Blue` used as a comparative variety in the examination, `Recoverer White`, and `Recoverer Pink`, and these plants are commonly characterized by a high resistance to rain. The main botanical characteristics of `Recoverer Scarletred` are as follows.
Plant: PA0 Stem: PA0 Leaf: PA0 Flower: Opening obliquely upward. PA0 Physiological and ecological characteristics: High resistance to rain, heat, and disease, and moderate resistance to pest. PA0 Plant: PA0 Stem: PA0 Leaf: PA0 Flower: Opening obliquely upward. PA0 Physiological and ecological characteristics: High resistance to cold, relatively high resistance to heat, and moderate resistance to disease and pest.
Growth habit.--Upright. PA2 Plant height.--30-40 cm. PA2 Spreading area of plant.--25-35 cm in diameter. PA2 Blooming period.--April to September in the southern Kanto area, Japan. PA2 Thickness.--Main stem 4.5-6.5 mm; lateral stem 2.0-3.0 mm. PA2 Color.--Strong yellow green (R.H.S. 144B-144C, J.H.S. 3512-3513). PA2 Branching.--Abundant. PA2 Pubescence.--Normal. PA2 Length of internode.--2.0-3.0 cm before blooming; 2.0-4.0 mm during blooming. PA2 Phyllotaxis.--Verticillate before blooming; opposite during blooming. PA2 Shape.--Lancet. PA2 Size (average).-4.0-5.0 cm.times.2.0-3.5 cm. PA2 Thickness.--0.4-0.6 mm. PA2 Color.--Strong yellow green to moderate olive green (R.H.S. 144A-146A, J.H.S. 3507-3508). PA2 Pubescence.--Few. PA2 Type.--Single. PA2 Shape.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb. PA2 Diameter.--8.0-8.5 cm. PA2 Color.--When flower is open, bright red (R.H.S. 45C-47B, J.H.S. 0407), with moderate pink (R.H.S. 51C-54C, J.H.S. 0113) reverse side. PA2 Reproductive organs.--1 pistil and 5 stamens, both normal. PA2 Peduncle.--1.5-2.5 mm in thickness, and 2.5-3.0 cm in length. PA2 Growth habit.--Decumbent. PA2 Plant height.--20 cm. PA2 Spreading area of plant.--100-150 cm in diameter. PA2 Blooming period.--May to August in the southern Kanto area, Japan. PA2 Length from base.--50-80 cm. PA2 Thickness.--Main stem 2.0-3.0 mm; lateral stem 1.5-2.5 mm. PA2 Color.--Strong yellow green (R.H.S. 144B-144C, J.H.S. 3512-3513). PA2 Branching.--Over-abundant. PA2 Pubescence.--Many. PA2 Length of intermode.--1.0-2.0 cm before blooming; 1.5-3.0 cm during blooming. PA2 Phyllotaxis.--Opposite both before and during blooming. PA2 Shape.--Oval. PA2 Size (average).--4.5-5.5 cm.times.2.5-3.5 cm. PA2 Thickness.--0.4-0.5 mm. PA2 Color.--Grayish olive green (R.H.S. 137A-137B, J.H.S. 3716-3717). PA2 Pubescence.Few. PA2 Type.--Funnel-shape, with five-fissured limb. PA2 Diameter.--4.0-5.0 cm. PA2 Color.--In the unopened stage (bud), dark reddish purple (R.H.S. 79B, J.H.S. 8907-8909); when open, vivid reddish purple (R.H.S. 74A, J.H.S. 9207); at full bloom, vivid reddish purple (R.H.S. 80A, J.H.S. 8906). PA2 Reproductive organ.--1 pistil and 5 stamens, both normal. PA2 Peduncle.--0.9-1.2 mm in thickness, and 2.0-2.5 mm in length.
The male parent used in the breeding of `Revolution Brilliantpink` is a wild type of petunia native to Brazil, the seeds of which were gathered at Gramado, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil and introduced to Japan in October, 1983. This wild type of plant is presently maintained at the aforementioned Yachiyo Farm of the Keisei Rose Nurseries, Inc. The main botanical characteristics of this male parent are as follows.
This new and distinct variety of petunia plant, `Revolution Brilliantpink`, was asexually reproduced by cutting at the aforementioned Yachiyo Farm of Keisei Rose Nurseries, Inc., and the homogeneity and stability thereof were confirmed.